Labour Party crisis deepens as NLC, Abure faction trade blame over Internal turmoil

The simmering crisis within the Labour Party has intensified, with both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Julius Abure-led faction of the party trading sharp accusations over the root cause of the deepening divisions threatening the stability of Nigeria’s most prominent workers-backed political platform.

At a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee on Wednesday, May 21, NLC President Joe Ajaero alleged that the internal unrest plaguing the Labour Party was the result of deliberate interference by the Federal Government and its agencies, which he claimed are unsettled by the growing influence of the party.

“It is the potential that we have that is attracting all these attacks. All the agencies of government are involved in the destabilisation plot,” Ajaero said.

He demanded that the government refrain from meddling in Labour Party affairs, insisting that, in keeping with global norms, the party should be owned and controlled by organised labour.

“I call on the government to stop destabilising the workers’ party. All over the world, Labour Party is organised and run by trade unions. Over 57 countries have functional Labour Parties—why should Nigeria be different? Labour Party is the only party where the son of a poor man can become somebody,” he declared.

Ajaero also unveiled a mass sensitisation campaign scheduled to run over the next month, aimed at repositioning the party and welcoming new institutional members.

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“In the next one month, we will finish with sensitisation. Those who want to join the Labour Party should come now, but they must be institutional persons,” he added.

He hinted at forthcoming actions, saying, “The founders of the party owe it a duty to put the party in order… In the next few days, there will be an action to take what belongs to us.”

In a swift and blistering response, the Abure-led Labour Party faction rejected Ajaero’s claims and accused the NLC of being the true source of the party’s internal crisis.

In a statement signed by Obiora Ifoh, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, the faction labelled Ajaero’s allegations as baseless and his actions as disruptive.

“We must state clearly and categorically that if there is any person or organisation that has destabilised the Labour Party, it is Joe Ajaero and the NLC,” Ifoh stated.

He accused the NLC President of acting outside the law by setting up an unconstitutional Transition Committee, which he said discredited and disrupted the party’s structure after a relatively peaceful post-election period.

“It was Ajaero who went ahead to illegally, unprofessionally and unconstitutionally set up a so-called Transition Committee, which went all over the place making noise and debasing the image of the party,” he said.

The Abure faction further criticised the committee’s actions at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing them as unnecessary disturbances. Ifoh specifically pointed to the involvement of older statesmen in what he called a “misguided mobilisation campaign.”

“It was the same Committee set up by Ajaero that was going to INEC every day, constituting nuisance… mobilising people, including old and retired men such as Abdulwaheed Omar, Ejiofor, Lawson Osagie and Prof. Theophilus Ndubaku—men who should be resting—to go against the interest of the party,” Ifoh alleged.

The Abure-led leadership called on Ajaero to redirect his focus to labour advocacy, which they insist is his primary responsibility, and to leave partisan politics to those constitutionally empowered within the party.

“Nigerians all over have asked Ajaero to concentrate on his primary assignment to fight for the welfare of workers,” Ifoh added.

He referenced an earlier statement from the Ministry of Labour, which reportedly cautioned the NLC President to steer clear of political interference and concentrate on workers’ issues.

“If there is any group or persons who have worked against the interest of the Labour Party, it is the NLC and Joe Ajaero. So he should not shift the blame—he should squarely take responsibility for whatever is happening in the party today,” Ifoh concluded.

The ongoing crisis in the Labour Party highlights the fragile balance between trade union influence and partisan leadership within the party.

As both camps dig in their heels, political analysts warn that the infighting, if unresolved, could erode the gains made by the Labour Party during the 2023 general elections and weaken its credibility ahead of future polls.

Stakeholders are now watching closely to see if reconciliation efforts will emerge—or if the impasse will escalate into a full-blown split that could redefine the party’s future.